No. 1 Belleville comes up clutch in rare down-to-wire match-up
Paisley Stephens delivers an assist during the first half of Tuesday’s two-point win over Wayne.
Entering Tuesday night’s game against state-ranked Wayne Memorial, unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Belleville’s had won each game this season by an average of 57.3 points.
On Tuesday, the Tigers proved they could win in a pressure-packed environment, too.
Sparked by clutch plays from multiple Belleville players — foremost Sydney Savoury and Layla Stewart — the Tigers rallied from 47-44 deficit in the final six minutes to pull out a 56-54 triumph.
Clutch shots
Among Savoury’s 35-point masterpiece were two late threes — the first putting the Tigers ahead 44-43 and the second a dagger with 4:28 to play that gave the hosts a 50-47 lead.
Appearing as calm as if she was shooting jumpers in her driveway, Savoury tacked on a tie-breaking mid-range jumper with just over two minutes to play to give her team a 54-52 lead.
Stewart, who played well on both ends the entire game, stole a Zebra pass while they were working to tie the game or take the lead while trailing 54-52 in the final minutes.
Seconds after the steal, Stewart was fouled and drained both pressure-packed free throws to up Belleville’s lead to 56-52 with just seconds left.
Close games? Bring them on!
Maybe somewhat surprisingly, Savoury admitted she enjoys the tension-packed endings.
“For sure,” she said, when asked if she enjoys down-to-the-wire games. “I’d rather play in a close game than a blowout any day. They’re more fun and they bring out me and my teammates’ competitive edge. Close games are more fun.”
Savoury said there’s a reason for her cool-as-a-popsicle demeanor in the waning moments of tense games.
“I think it just comes from experience,” she said. “I’ve played in a lot of close games in my career, which helps.”
Savoury called Stewart’s steal and victory-cementing free throws “huge”.
“Layla didn’t have the biggest scoring night, but she still impacts the game with big plays,” Savoury added. “She plays with a style that can take over games … she stays in the moment and we feed off that.”
Silky-smooth senior Se’Crette Carter netted 10 points for Belleville while Paisley Stephens and Stewart both contributed five.
Senior Maria Cross led the Zebras with 14, including four triples, and Aaliyah Frost scored 13.
Belleville shot 23 free throws, making 19, while Wayne was 9-for-14 from the line.
Belleville’s win all but cements a KLAA championship game featuring the East Division champion Tigers against West Division leader Howell, which is led by 6-foot-6 senior and McDonald’s All-American Lilly Williams.
“I know Lilly well; we’ve played on the same teams together,” Savoury said. “It will be a fun game.”
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
